Gear Review: Knight’s Armament – KAC QD Bipod

The explosion of precision rifle shooting has brought about a plethora of accessories to help shooters connect with targets. Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) has been a long-time innovator and developer of weapons systems and accessories, ranging from rails and sights to sniper rifles and machine guns. Several years ago, KAC developed a bipod to meet the requirements of the US Army’s Compact Semi-Auto Sniper System (CSASS) program. Today we know that bipod today as the KAC QD bipod.

The KAC QD bipod is a highly adjustable, premium bipod for rifle shooting in the field. Whether encountering terrain, man-made obstacles or a mixture of both, having a versatile bipod can stabilize the gun and make difficult shots easier. A quick review of features incorporated into the KAC bipod includes: a push button quick attach/disconnect system for M1913 Picatinny spec rails, 5-position leg height adjustment ranging from 6.875-inches to 9.25-inches, independent legs with 6-position adjustment for leg angle, adjustable cant, adjustable pan (with lock-out feature) and removable feet.

KAC QD Bipod, shown with Hawk Hill Custom Talon feet

Features

The machined aluminum bipod is clean of tool marks and has an even anodized finish that feels like it is high quality. Starting at the mounting point, the push-button locking lug is a very simple but solid attachment point that is quick to take on and off without requiring adjustment for different rails (because they are not all made the same). To use the mount, simply depress the button and slide the rail. When you release the button spring pressure slides the lug into the rail slot.

Push-Button Locking Lug for M1913 Picatinny Rail Attachment

The top lever at the back of the bipod is a lock-out feature for the pan capability. When tracking moving targets, having the ability to pan the rifle is handy…but for most other shooting a bipod that is not aligned to the rifle can create a yawing effect under recoil. With a heavy-recoiling rifle or under sustained fire with a gas-gun, this problem becomes more apparent. Other bipods either have no panning ability, or don’t have a good way to lock it out, but this method solves the panning problem quite nicely.

The other lever on the backside of the bipod is the tension adjustment for the swivel/cant. Being able to level the rifle via a swiveling/cant adjustable bipod is a must have for precision rifles, especially for longer distance shooting. If a rifle is canted (not level), dialing or holding above the target will induce offsets that can cause a miss. Extended levers on other bipods are a must to make this adjustment, but I’ve had slings and vegetation get caught on the extended lever. The crew at KAC was clever with this as well, by making the lever folding so that it can be tucked under and out of the way. I generally set the swivel tension to have some resistance so that the rifle won’t rotate from its own weight but be able to adjust with a little force when behind the rifle.

Top Lever: Pan Lever shown in “On” aka unlocked position. Also note the angle of the bipod to the rifle. Bottom Lever: Swivel/Cant lever folded away

With the bipod legs, there are several ways companies have designed their function. The legs have a push-button to adjust the angle of the legs. The adjustment range is from straight forward and backwards, 45-degree angles forward and backwards in addition to straight down. The KAC design also has a forward 15-degree angle as well. These additional increments are quite handy for uphill/downhill angled shots, in addition to lengthening or shortening a rifle’s footprint when shooting off obstacles or unconventional shooting positions.

For bipod leg height adjustment, the KAC QD bipod has latches on the leg rapid extension or collapsing the height. There is not a spring internally, which allows for the lowest leg setting to work without having a bounce or reverberation under tension. The feet are of the Atlas pattern, meaning a small punch or bullet tip can be used to swap the feet for something with claws or spikes. I used the Hawk Hill Custom Talon feet with this bipod.

Leg Latches

Bipod Legs Extended

Performance

On the range, the KAC bipod proved to be versatile and capable when tested for a wide variety of shooting positions. When prone, the bipod is sturdy for shooting groups and connecting on long range steel. There is some slack in the legs, which allows for the shooter to “load” the bipod by putting forward tension on the rifle. I tested the bipod by both loading and not loading the bipod, being able to shoot sub-MOA groups with heavy and light pressure. When shooting from obstacles, being able to angle the bipod back allowed the rifle to fit with a rear bag on top of barrels and culverts. In use, the push-button attachment was handy for switching between multiple rifles.

While the bipod is pricey ($440 MSRP), it’s loaded with features that make it an enhancement to the rifle it is paired with. The industry has pushed bipods beyond being a simple device to hold up the front of the gun, and the KAC design embodies the concept of being a position enabler. The versatility in the design and the ease of attachment to any M1913 spec rail means it can be swapped between all your favorite rail-equipped rifles. For precision rifles that are firing ammunition that is priced at dollars per round, spending the money on a quality bipod like the KAC QD design only helps to ensure those rounds go where you want them.